Base-ball glove



(No Model.)

G. G. KOHLER. BASEBALL GLOVE.

Patented Apr. 15

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE C. KOI'ILER, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO A. G.

SPALDING A: BROS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

BASE-BALL G LOVE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 425,887, dated April 15, 1890. Application filed December 4; 1888. Renewed October 18, 1889' fierial No. 327,420. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE C. KOHLER, of the city and county of San Francisco, State of California, have invented an Improvement in Base-Ball Gloves; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in gloves, and it is especially applicable to the use of base-ball players.

It consists of a front and back formed of one or more pieces united together by lines of stitching and having continuous unitingstrips passing between the fingers and connecting the front and back, so as to form a fingerless glove.

Referring to'the accompanying drawings for a more complete explanation of my invention, Figure 1 is a view of one of my gloves, showing its construction. Fig. 2 is a plan of the front and back as they are cut out ready to be folded and stitched together.

In the construction of base-ball gloves for the protection of the hands of the players against the severe blows of the ball, which produce bruises upon the hands, it is customary to make padded gloves having open backs and short finger and thumb portions extending a short distance from the body of the glove, these being made with the forges and seams between the fingers in the usual manner. These gloves,'if made heavy enough to be of service, are unyielding, and by reason of the short heavily-stitched fingers are not sufficiently flexible to allow the free use of the fingers for pitching and throwing the ball.

My invention is designed to obviate this difficulty; and it consists in forming a front and back with light connecting links or straps, which pass between the fingers, so as to unite the front and back of the gloves without extending along the fingers or having any seams or parts which would in any way impede the free movement of the fingers and thumb.

A is the front, and B is the back, of my improved glove, the back being open, as shown at C, and having the part which surrounds the wrist formed with a strap D, having any suitable fastening for retaining it upon the hand. Between the front and back narrow straps or bands E extend at such points that they will pass between the fingers of the wearer, so as to connect the front and back of the glove without any extension along the fingers, and which in no way impede their flexibility and free movement. These straps or connections may be cut out in one piece with the front and back, as shown in Fig. 2, or they may be formed with either the front or back and afterward stitched to the opposite part, so as to pass between the fingers, as above described; or they may, if desired, be made entirely separate from the front or back and afterward stitched to both; but I prefer to cut the whole of the glove out of a single piece.

A short extension is cut, as shown at G, which incloses the base of the thumb when the two parts are folded and stitched together, and a line of stitching upon the outside edge of the hand and along the base of the thumb from the wrist upward, and also between the thumb and the forefinger, is all that is necessary to complete the glove, the palm of which may afterward be padded in any suitable or well-known manner, which it is not necessary here to describe. By this construction all seams of whatever nature or description are removed from the fingers or palm, and I thus avoid the consequent folds and thickening at these points the glove will be very much more flexible and will not present projections which will hurt the hand when catching the ball. By entirely dispensing with the short fingers and the forges or intermediate pieces between them the fingers are entirely unimpeded in their action, and it is not necessary to remove the glove for pitching, throwing or batting.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A glove composed of the front and back portions cut so as to fold upon each other,

with uniting strips or bands passing between the fingers of the hand, said front and back being united together by scams or lines of stitching upon the sides of the hand only, substantially as herein described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

GEORGE C. KOHLER.

Witnesses:

S. H. Nounsn, H. 0. LEE. 

